IE-0029: Basic IO

README.md

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ Proposal
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | --------
 [(IE-0032) Run-time problem reform](proposals/0032-run-time-problem-reform.md)                           | 26 August 2023  | [PR#32](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/32)
 [(IE-0030) Extension examples and testing](proposals/0030-extension-examples-and-testing.md)             | 7 August 2023   | [PR#30](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/30)
+[(IE-0029) Basic IO](proposals/0029-basic-io.md)                                                         | 20 July 2023    | [PR#29](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/29)             
 [(IE-0028) Extension documentation revisited](proposals/0028-extension-documentation-revisited.md)       | 19 July 2023    | [PR#28](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/28)
 [(IE-0017) Apps and extensions](proposals/0017-apps-and-extensions.md)                                   | 15 April 2023   | [PR#17](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/17)
 [(IE-0015) World model enforcement](proposals/0015-world-model-enforcement.md)                           | 16 January 2023 | [PR#15](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/15)
@@ -47,7 +48,6 @@ Proposal
 
 Proposal                                                                                                 | Began           | Comments
 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | --------
-_(IE-0029) Basic IO_ (still drafting: see pull request)                                                   | 19 July 2023    | [PR#29](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/29)
 _(IE-0011) New data structures_ (still drafting: see pull request)                                        | --              | [PR#11](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/11)
 [(IE-0008) Faster memory allocation](proposals/0008-faster-memory-allocation.md)                         | 13 July 2022    | [PR#8](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/8)
 [(IE-0007) Double-precision real numbers](proposals/0007-double-precision-reals.md)                      | 3 July 2022     | [PR#7](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/7)

proposals/0029-basic-io.md

@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# (IE-0029) Basic IO
+
+* Proposal: [IE-0029](0029-basic-io.md)
+* Discussion PR link: [#29](https://github.com/ganelson/inform-evolution/pull/29)
+* Author: Dannii Willis
+* Language feature name: None
+* Status: Accepted
+* Related proposals: [IE-0017](0017-apps-and-extensions.md)
+
+## Summary
+
+Extend the basic IO functionality of Basic Inform, including incorporating
+Basic Screen Effects.
+
+## Motivation
+
+As part of [IE-0017](0017-apps-and-extensions.md) the former built-in extensions
+have been removed. Most of them will be available in the Public Library, but
+[Basic Screen Effects](https://github.com/ganelson/inform/blob/r10.1/inform7/Internal/Extensions/Emily%20Short/Basic%20Screen%20Effects.i7x)
+is so close to essential that it was decided it would be better to just incorporate
+its contents into Basic Inform. A few extra phrases will also be added.
+
+## Components affected
+
+- [ ] No change to the natural-language syntax.
+- [ ] No change to inbuild.
+- [ ] No changes to inform7.
+- [ ] No change to inter.
+- [ ] No change to the Inter specification.
+- [x] Minor change to BasicInformKit.
+- [x] Minor changes Basic Inform.
+- [x] Minor addition to documentation.
+- [ ] No change to the GUI apps.
+
+## Impact on existing projects
+
+Projects currently relying on Basic Screen Effects may need to slightly change
+some phrases, but where possible the new Basic Inform implementation will be made
+compatible.
+
+## Specifics
+
+Basic Screen Effects has the following functionality:
+
+- measuring the screen/game window
+- clearing the screen/specific windows
+- customising the status line
+- key press phrases
+- pausing the game activity
+- showing boxed quotations
+- centering text
+- coloured text (Z-Machine only)
+
+These are generally very useful features, and are also quite basic. Incorporating
+them into Basic Inform shouldn't be an issue as it is unlikely anyone would want
+a very different implementation of these features. We can also now make coloured
+text supported in Glulx as well as Z-Machine. However we don't need to incorporate
+absolutely all of BSE; in particular having a whole activity for pausing the game
+seems like an overcomplication.
+
+While BSE lets you read one keypress event, it has no phrases for reading text.
+Neither does Basic Inform at present! Accepting a line of text from the user is
+a pretty fundamental operation that is supported by almost every other language.
+So it is proposed that we also add phrases to read text and to read and parse a
+number from the user.